Common Property vs Limited Common Property: An Owner's Guide

If you own in a BC strata, you've probably heard the terms common property and limited common property and walked away unclear on what they mean. The distinction isn't academic. It determines who pays for repairs when something breaks, who's liable when something goes wrong, and what you can and can't do with your balcony. The common property vs limited common property BC rules are set out in the Strata Property Act and refined by each strata's bylaws. Below is the plain-language version with examples from Sea to Sky buildings we manage.

The three categories of strata property

Every square metre of a BC strata building is one of three things:

1. A strata lot. The interior space you own and have title to
2. Common property. Everything not inside a strata lot, owned by all owners collectively through the strata corporation
3. Limited common property (LCP). Common property designated for the exclusive use of one or more specific strata lots

The definitions are in Strata Property Act s. 1, and the maintenance rules are in s. 72 to 74. Knowing which category any given piece of the building falls into is the foundation of every repair-cost dispute and every insurance claim.

The category is usually set in the original strata plan filed at the Land Title Office. Some categories can change later (common property can be converted to LCP by 3/4 vote, for example), but the strata plan is the starting point.

What "common property" means in practice

Common property is everything in the building that's not inside someone's strata lot. The classic examples:

• Hallways and corridors
• Stairwells and elevators
• Roofs and exterior walls
• Mechanical rooms (boiler, electrical, sprinkler)
• Lobbies, mail rooms, amenity rooms
• The structure itself. Beams, columns, slabs
• Exterior windows (in most buildings; check your bylaws)
• The plumbing and electrical inside the walls (up to the point where they enter a strata lot)

The strata corporation owns and maintains common property on behalf of all owners. You as an owner have an undivided fractional interest in it, calculated by your unit entitlement (typically based on your strata lot's relative size). When something breaks in common property, the strata pays. Usually from the operating budget, sometimes from the contingency reserve fund (CRF) for big-ticket items, sometimes via special levy for major capital work.

The maintenance duty for common property is set out in SPA s. 72: the strata must repair and maintain common property. There's no opt-out for the strata. A strata that lets common property deteriorate is in breach of its statutory duty.

What "limited common property" means in practice

LCP is the trickier category. It's common property (the strata owns it, you have an undivided fractional share) but it's designated for the exclusive use of one or more strata lots. The classic examples in BC strata buildings:

• Balconies and patios (designated to the adjacent strata lot)
• Parking stalls (designated by stall number)
• Storage lockers
• Yard space in townhomes
• Rooftop decks in penthouse units
• Limited-use amenity rooms (e.g., a media room reserved for certain lots)

The owner has exclusive use of the LCP. No one else can park in your stall, sit on your balcony, or use your storage locker. But the strata still owns it and has default maintenance responsibility under s. 72.

That default is where it gets complicated. s. 72(2) allows bylaws to shift some LCP maintenance to the owner who has exclusive use. Most BC stratas have done this for specific items: balcony railings, deck surfaces, storage locker cleaning. The bylaws determine who pays.

A worked example: the balcony

Let's take a typical Squamish concrete-frame condo balcony. Here's the layout:

• The slab itself is common property (structural). Strata pays.
• The waterproofing membrane on top of the slab is LCP (covers only one unit). Strata typically pays under s. 72 default unless bylaws shift it.
• The railing is LCP. Strata typically pays for structural; owner sometimes pays for finish.
• The flooring tiles or composite deck on top is owner's property if installed by the owner, LCP maintained by strata if original to the building.
• The planter box and outdoor furniture are owner's property. They own them outright, no strata involvement.

This is why a balcony water leak can turn into a months-long conversation about who pays. The membrane fails, water gets into the unit below, and three parties (upper unit, lower unit, strata) all have different responsibilities. A clear bylaw makes this routine. An ambiguous bylaw makes it expensive.

A worked example: the parking stall

A parking stall is almost always LCP. The owner has exclusive use; the strata maintains the concrete, lighting, drainage, and structural integrity of the parkade. The owner is responsible for keeping the stall reasonably clean and clear.

When the parkade waterproofing fails (a common issue in aging Sea to Sky concrete buildings), the strata pays for the repair, even though the cars that get rained on belong to individual owners. The strata's duty under s. 72 doesn't depend on whose car is parked there.

When an owner's car leaks oil onto the stall and stains the concrete, the strata can fine them for the bylaw breach but typically doesn't bill them for the cleaning unless the bylaw shifts that cost.

A worked example: the hallway and the front door

Hallways are unambiguously common property. The strata maintains the floor, walls, ceiling, lighting, and HVAC. Owners can't decorate hallway walls outside their unit, can't add personal items, and can't change the lighting.

The front door of your unit is a classic dividing-line case:

• The door itself (the slab) is common property. Strata pays for replacement.
• The lockset, deadbolt, and door hardware are typically owner's property. Owner pays for replacement.
• The peephole is owner's property (installed by owner).
• The interior face of the door is owner's property for paint and finish.
• The exterior face is common property for paint and finish.

This is why a strata won't replace your lock if you lose your keys, but will replace your entire door if it warps or fails. And it's why some stratas have specific bylaws about door colour and finish, to keep the exterior face consistent.

How to find out what's what in your building

The first source of truth is your strata plan, filed at the Land Title Office. The strata plan shows which areas are designated as LCP and which are common property. A licensed BC realtor or strata manager can pull this document for a small fee.

The second source is your bylaws. Look for clauses titled "Repair and maintenance of property by owner," "Repair and maintenance of property by strata corporation," or similar. These set out who pays for what within the SPA framework. Most BC stratas have amended these from the Schedule of Standard Bylaws default.

The third source is the council's accumulated practice. Some stratas have a tradition of handling certain repairs a particular way that doesn't match the strict reading of the bylaws. That practice doesn't override the bylaws if it's challenged at the CRT, where tribunal members have set long-standing customs aside in favour of the strict bylaw text.

When LCP designations get changed

LCP designations aren't permanent. Section 74 sets out the process for designating new LCP or changing existing designations. The mechanism:

1. A 3/4 vote of owners at a properly noticed general meeting
2. Registration of the bylaw amendment at the Land Title Office
3. Updated strata plan filing if the change affects the plan

Why a strata might do this: to formalize a balcony that the strata plan originally showed as common property, to assign a previously shared storage room to a single owner, or to convert excess hallway space into private LCP. These changes are increasingly common in Squamish stratas as buildings adapt to actual use patterns.

What this means for repair-cost disputes

When a repair-cost dispute lands in front of council, the analysis follows a predictable order:

1. Identify the component. What broke, where is it?
2. Identify the category. Strata lot, common property, or LCP?
3. Read the bylaws. Do they shift the s. 72 default for this LCP component?
4. Check insurance applicability. Is this an insurable loss? (See our strata insurance deductibles guide.)
5. Decide who pays. Owner, strata, or split.

This is the same logic we use at every Squamish council we manage, and it's the same logic the CRT applies when these disputes get litigated. For a deeper dive on the financial side (who pays, when special levies apply, and how insurance interacts) see our comprehensive who-pays guide. For the depreciation-report context that flags major capital work years in advance, see our depreciation reports pillar.

If your council is unclear on the LCP status of a particular area, or your bylaws are too vague to settle a repair-cost question, contact us. We'll review the strata plan and bylaws and tell you where the line sits.